Cosmetics

How Much Collagen Do You Lose Per Year?

Have you ever wondered where the signs of aging begin, or better yet, when? Aging begins with the connective tissue that supports the other tissues and binds them together. This includes bone, blood, and lymph tissues as well as the tissues that give support and structure to the skin and internal organs (Medline Plus, 2021).  When those tissues begin to lose mass, the process is called atrophy and due to these changes, our organs can also change as we age. Aging organs slowly lose function, hence why our skin will begin to change and wrinkles become prominent as early as 25 years of age.

But where does this change happen first? 6 parts of the body will reveal your age: hands, face, eyelids, elbows, and then hair. Sun damage remains the biggest culprit when it comes to aging our hands more rapidly than any other part of our body. It is important to keep your hands moisturized with thick creams – particularly overnight. A daily regimen is always best.

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While it may be obvious that one of the many places we can see signs of aging is in the face, some may question the use of collagen and how this can help to slow down the aging process. But first, what is collagen? Collagen is the main structural protein found in skin and other connective tissues, widely used in purified form for cosmetic treatments. We lose 1% of collagen per year. Loss of protein is the primary reason we tend to see our skin losing its structure and begin to wrinkle as we age. But as previously mentioned, there are 6 places where this becomes visible, however, we tend to take notice when the fine lines on our faces begin to appear.  When it comes to wrinkles, it may work to your disadvantage to be thin; oddly enough losing as little as 10 pounds can age a woman by four years.

Our eyelids – crow feet anyone? As we grow older our eyelids will stretch and the muscles supporting them will grow weaker. This can lead to a surplus of fat above and below your eyelids, creating unflattering bags under your eyes. Aside from surgery, drinking more water, getting more sleep, and consuming less salt are some of the ways to slow down aging on this part of the body.

What’s next? The neck. Your neck often looks older before anything else because its skin is thinner than that on your face. Using the same products for your face on your neck is prudent – as long as this is done early before your neck has already changed its appearance. If you are someone who already has a sagging neck, take a moment to rethink your fashion choices, maybe wearing a nice scarf or switching to a more dramatic look with your cosmetics will help shift the attention.

Did you know that elbows would make this list? We didn’t. There is not much that can be done about the loose skin developing on your elbows. A simple solution is using moisturizer or cream or wearing long-sleeved shirts. We recommend less smoking, stress, an increase in your liquid intake as some of the measures you can take to help slow down the aging process on your elbows.

Lastly, another obvious giveaway – our hair. Not only does hair become thinner and grayer with age, but also becomes drier and brittle. Using certain oils and overall TLC is what works best here.

Learn More: How to Restore Collagen in the Face

Written by Anna Barnes
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

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